High pressure valve



July 1, 1958 A. FORD HIGH PRESSURE VALVE Filed Dec. .7, 1 954 INVEN TOR.d m I mm; ma

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United States Patent HIGH PRESSURE VALVE Alfred Ford, Chicago, Ill.,assignor to Superior Pipe Specialties Company, Cicero, 111., acorporation of Illinois Application December 7, 1954, Serial No. 473,672

2 Claims. (Cl. 137-557) This invention relates to a high pressure valveand particularly to an air valve for use in connection with containersor systems having gas or other fluid at high pressure. An air valveembodying the present invention is particularly useful where the valveis liable to be unscrewed by mistake from its container. The inventionprovides warning means whereby any attempt to unscrew the valve from thecontainer while the container has high pressure will result in thegeneration of a noise which will act as a warning.

In order that the invention may be fully disclosed, it will be explainedin connection with the drawings wherein an exemplary embodiment isillustrated, it being understood, however, that variations may be madewithout departing from the scope of the invention except as defined bythe appended claims.

Referring to the drawings- Figure 1 shows a view with certain parts cutaway of a valve embodying the present invention, the valve being mountedin a high pressure container.

Figure 2 is an end view on line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view along line 3--3 of Figure showing the valve.

Figure 4 is a sectional detail taken along line 44 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a transverse section taken along line 5-5 of Figure 1illustrating the valve only.

Figure 6 is a sectional detail taken along line 6-6 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a detail of the valve member.

While the valve embodying the present invention may be used in all typesand varieties of systems, it may be used with particular advantage insuch devices as accumulators. Accumulators are devices wherein some gassuch as air or an inert gas such as nitrogen is stored under highpressure, together with a quantity of liquid. The accumulator may have apiston separating the liquid from thegas. Thus referring to Figure 1, anaccumulator shell generally indicated by 10 has fixture 11 foraccommodating threaded pipe 12, coupling the accumulator to anaccumulator load. Accumulator shell 10 may have some valve connectedthereto so that the accumulator may be charged with gas to a suitablepressure. As illustrated in the drawing, accumulator shell 10 hasrounded end 13 provided with a tapped aperture into which high pressurevalve 15 is screwed.

Referring to the valve proper illustrated in all the figures, valve 15has body 16 of suitable hexagonal or other stock. It is understood thatthe various parts of the valve are made of steel or other suitable metalexcept, where other parts, as gaskets, are specifically designated asbeing of other materials. Body 16 has externally threaded nipple 17 andhas smooth sleeve 18 extending from opposite sides of the valve body.Valve body 16 has axial bore '20 which flares outwardly at the threadednipple end at 21 to form a valve seat. Valve body 16 has bore 23transversely of the axis of the valve body and laterally oitsettherefrom. The diameter of bore 23 is such and 2,841,175 Patented July1, 1958 2' the offset is such that bores 23 and partially intersect.Bore 23 accommodates taper pin 25, the taper pin when "ice fullyinserted into bore 23 having part thereof projecting into thespace inbore 20' which is common to the two bores.

Sleeve 18 of the valve body has annular slot 27 in which spring 0 washer28 may lie. Washer 28 is disposed within annular shoulder 30 of nut 31.Nut 31 is thus rotatively held to valve body 16. Nut 31 and valve body16 are conveniently of the same size hexagonal stock. Nut 31 has itsthreaded apertured portion generally in line with bore 20 of the valvebody.

When the valve is assembled, there is disposed within bore 20 of thevalve body valve stem 32 having smooth cylindrical portion 33 andthreaded portion 34. Stem 32 carries mushroom-shaped valve head 36adjacent smooth portion 33 of the valve stem. Smooth part 33 of thevalve stem is annularly undercut at 37 at the base of themushroom-shaped valve head 36.

Valve stem 32 has axial bore 38 extending from the threaded end 40 up toundercut part 37. The valve stem at undercut part 37 has transverse bore41 which intersects axial bore 38. Smooth portion 33 of the valve stemhas one or more annular slots 43 for accommodating packing and sealingrings 45 and 46 of suitable material such as rubber or the like.

Smooth portion 33 of valve stem 32 is slotted at 48 (Figure 4) toaccommodate taper pin 25 so that the taper pin will lock the valve stemagainst rotation. Slot 48 is wider than required for accommodating taperpin 25 so that some longitudinal movement of the valve stem will bepermitted.

In accordance with this invention, threaded nipple portion 17 hasshallow relief slot 50 longitudinally thereof on the outside, the slotextending for at least part of the length of the threaded nipple. Slot50 may have a depth of the order of the depth of the thread in thenipple. Valve body 16 has face 52 adjacent the base of the nippleundercut to accommodate an O-ring gasket 53. This gasket provides a sealbetween valve body 16 and wall 13. The relief slot is long enough sothat the inner end of slot 50 will be exposed if valve body 16 isunscrewed enough to break the gasket seal or at least one or two turns.The length of slot 50 should be sufficient to provide a restrictedchannel from the high pressure interior of container 10 to the outsideafter the valve body has been unscrewed a predetermined amount Thus ifthe valve body is accidentally turned in a direction to remove the valvefrom the container While there is high pressure Within container 10, therush of liquid or fluid, as the case may be, through slot 50 will createsufiicient noise to act as a warning against further turning of thevalve body.

The necessity for the warning action is particularly important where nut31 is of the same hexagonal stock as valve body 16 and when nut 31 hassuch a short length axially of the nut and valve body 16 has a greaterlength so that a wrench is liable to engage the valve body instead of ortogether with the nut.

When the valve is completely assembled as illustrated in Figures 1 to 6inclusive, rotation of nut 31 will cause longitudinal movement of thevalve stem and thus result in opening or closing of the valve. By properdesign of slot 43, suflicient longitudinal movement of the valve stemfor tightly closing or opening the valve will be permitted.

What is claimed is:

l. A. high pressure valve construction comprising a valve body having athreaded nipple portion at one end and an annular sleeve portion at theother end, said body having an axial bore through the ends of the body,said valve body having the nipple end provided with an annular valveseat and having an intermediate body portion to be engaged by a wrench,a nut of similar stock as the intermediate valve body portion, means forrotatably supporting said nut on thesleeve part of the valve body withthe threaded portion of the nut extending beyond said sleeve andgenerally coaxial with the valve body bore, means for retaining said nutfrom any substantial movement along the axis of the valve body, a valvestem having a valve head on one end thereof, said valve stem beingdisposed within the bore of the valve body and having the valve headdisposed at the nipple end for cooperation with the valve seat, pinmeans passing transversely through said valve body and valve stem forlooking these two parts against relative rotation, one of said partsproviding lateral clearance for said pin so that the valve stem may movelongitudinally of the valve body while still being locked againstrotation relative thereto, said valve stem having a threaded portiondisposed within said nut so that as said nut is turned said valve stemis longitudinally moved, said valve stem having an axial bore from theend remote from the valve head to the base of the valve head, said valvestem having at least one transverse bore connecting the axial stem borewith the region around the valve stem at the base of the valve head, andat least one slot on the outside of said threaded nipple portionextending parallel to the axis of the nipple, said slot cutting acrossthe nipple threads and ex tending from the free end of the nipple towardthe valve body, said body having a sealing gasket adjacent the nipple,said slot being long enough so that when the valve body is backed outfrom the wall of a high pressure container enough to break the gasketseal, then said slot provides a channel for a leak to generate noise.

2. The construction according to claim 1 wherein said nut and saidintermediate valve body portion are both of hexagonal stock having thesame transverse dimensions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSl,l92,870 Daum Aug. 1, 1916 1,299,571 Grounds Apr. 8, 1919 1,491,764Gulick Apr. 27, 1924 1,673,470 Pufier June 12, 1928 2,343,134 CawoodFeb. 29, 1944 2,368,927 Kiene Feb. 6, 1945

